3 stars

The atmosphere in this book was so well done. I truly felt like I was in the hot humid swamp in a musty gothic mansion in Flordia.

However, the mystery/gothic element of this book fell flat for me. I do not think it was as fleshed out as it could have been. I like books that leave a story open ended, but I think this was almost to open ended to where I did not understand the creepy aspect of the book.

With that said, I did overall enjoy the reading experience. It was a short book (and a debut!) so if the story sounds interesting it is defintely worth picking up!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e book in exchange for my review.

Dark and a little weird. I loved the haunted house elements and the intersection of past and present. I wish I could have rated this a little higher, but I didn't think it was quite as tight as it could have been. Granted, I had an ARC, so I am sure there were further edits made. I thought the characters were really interesting, and the intensity of female friendships, especially those formed in middle school, was fascinating to examine.

This book was a slow insidious creep into horror. The unreliability of the narration and the rawness of the characters—and the HOUSE—pulls you close and then drags you under.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Opinions are my own!

This book has lengthy character backstories and flashbacks - it’s not for everyone but it’s definitely my jam. I loved exploring Ingrid and Mayra’s complex relationship and all the tidbits about life in Florida (which made me stop at least twice to look for places in NC to get my beloved pastelitos and cafe con leche). It’s not very long but I did get confused about halfway through trying to remember whether it was a horror novel. I would describe it as more of a psychological mystery with horror or sci-fi elements. I thought it was an interesting twist on a haunted house story and found myself thinking about scenes from Annihilation at times, but I wanted more to happen with the house by the novel’s climax. There was a found journal section of the book that wasn’t uninteresting necessarily but I think it’s purpose was to just provide an answer to the mystery (which I already found kind of obvious) and it took time away from developing the main story more. I enjoyed large chunks of this book but ended up being disappointed by the rushed ending where the main adversaries barely even made an appearance. I still enjoyed the author’s writing though and I’d definitely read their next one.

DNF @ ~40%

I was invited to check this one out on NetGalley, and it sounded like it could be great. The premise sounded really intriguing but the story still hadn’t really gotten started at almost halfway through. I was so bored while reading, and book felt way too slow and kind of a mess. I do think this had potential, I just didn’t care enough to keep going.

Out of the blue, Ingrid receives an invite from her childhood friend, the titular Mayra, to spend some time with her in the Florida Everglades. Ingrid’s worship of Mayra has made for an unbalanced, strange friendship, and old wounds reopen quickly, making for a very awkward atmosphere. Not to mention with Mayra’s boyfriend’s strange insistence that Ingrid doesn’t leave the property, and the discovery of a strange diary, things get very weird, and potentially deadly.

Mayra drifts along with a feeling of unplaceable unease, until one strange action by Mayra’s husband begins an unravelling. Nicky Gonzalez has done a great job of creating a dream-like world, and maintaining intrigue throughout. The dynamic between Mayra and Ingrid is particularly effective; I can’t help but feel that some of this book is autobiographical in parts.

A slow-burn tale of discomfort,.

Childhood best friend and the spooky south? I’m already falling in love with this story.

The three characters balanced each other well, helping develop the plot and the creepiness of being in the middle of no where.

I love that the story touches on childhood relationships and how things change as we become adults.

It’s dark, it’s creepy and it was worth the time! I can’t wait to see this on the shelves.

Wow, what a story! It takes off practically at the very beginning and just keeps on going.

Ingrid is meeting up with her old buddy from school, Mayra, for a little weekend get-away and to catch up on lost times. Ingrid finds an old journal and everything starts to go a little bonkers. Time isn't what it seems to be and things don't feel right.

Absolutely a must read for those that love a good gothic horror novel.

#NetGalley #Mayra

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>Mayra</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This Gothic novel is set in swampy Florida, so there is a built-in in otherworldly atmosphere. Ingrid has grown up in Hialeah, Florida, works an unimportant, boring job, and has few things in her life that could bring a smile. Memories of her best friend, Mayra, and their silly, sometimes dangerous adventures make her think of better times. But Mayra left for college; her few visits since them were awkward.
An unexpected invitation to visit Mayra at a friend's house causes Ingrid to wonder. She hesitates but eventually goes. Mayra and Benji are delighted to see her. The house is unexpectedly unique, the food is sublime, and Ingrid's friendship with Mayra slowly repairs.
It takes a long time for Gonzalez to get to this point. The sense of unease grows very slowly, both for Ingrid and this reader. The first clear image that something is truly amiss is a very short scene that rarely gets mentioned again. Time and space distort; much like Silvia Moreno-Garcia's <iMexican Gothic</i>, the house reflects and transmits rot and disease. It is a labyrinth of horror.

Like any true Gothic story, the house becomes a character, along with the humans living within it. Two childhood friends, Ingrid and Mayra, reunite for a weekend in the Florida Everglades, along with Mayra's boyfriend, Benji. What begins as an indulgent weekend dev0lves into disagreements, secret doors and traps. A haunted, and haunting, read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this title.

I'm still trying to understand what this story is about, other than two friends reconnecting after a long separation. There is unfinished business and hurt feelings between Mayra and Ingrid. My first impression is that Mayra seems complicated to love and be around. Most of this story is about rehashing their relationship, in which Mayra has some gaps in her memory.

They seem to do things that make no sense (yes, I understand they are teenagers, so that’s a given), and there's no accountability for things even at 15 (or 16). That age is such a critical development stage, but one should still have the good sense to know not to poke the bear, don't ask strange men dumb things, because not everyone thinks it's a joke. My apprehension toward this story was that they didn’t realize how dangerous what they were doing was; however, I’m a parent, so I’m biased.

I can say that their relationship, in general, started wonderfully, but then turned toxic for them both. In one instance, Mayra tells Ingrid her plans to attend an out-of-state college. The girls had planned to go to college together close to home, but Mayra had other dreams and aspirations. She wanted to thrive in new surroundings. When she tells Ingrid her plans of wanting to go to Vermont, Ingrid becomes a killjoy and doesn't support her friend. In the heat of the moment, she didn’t realize those actions had consequences.

The story focuses on the weekend for these estranged friends and vividly describes the tranquility of the home, which is very secluded in the swamp. Ingrid saw this as a getaway from her current environment. However, the house has a sinister history of keeping its occupants docile and quiet.

Benji enters the story as Mayra’s boyfriend. He has inherited this home and is obsessed with its upkeep and caring for his guests' every want and need.

At this point, Ingrid doesn't know how long she's been in the house as days spill into one another with her friend, eating great food, and reminiscing. Benji makes sure they never have to leave. Ingrid is also intrigued by the design of the house and that it doesn’t make sense, so she spends her time exploring and, in doing so, finds a journal. This journal would be critical as the story goes on.

Will Ingrid and Mayra ever leave this tranquility? Or is that the house masking another dark, insidious secret?

I found this story to be a lot more than what I expected. Yes, it's about friendship and love, but also family. We learn why Mayra is a wild child because she doesn’t have the same support as Ingrid, which would make anyone jealous of her relationships with them.

It's a strange novel, but one I can't appreciate for what it is to understand life and your place in it. It’s to "know thyself" regardless of the obstacles in front of you.

Ingrid, a Cuban woman, is invited to visit her childhood best friend in a secluded home in the Everglades of Florida.

Mayra has changed a lot from the “chonga” she was in high school, and Ingrid is trying to make sense of the person she is now. She always had a strong personality that Ingrid admired when they were close, but she also envied her. She never felt as cool or as confident as Mayra was.

Ingrid plans to only stay for the weekend but finds herself staying day after day, an escape from reality, and liking who she is away from her normal routine and stressors.

She finds an old diary under the guest room bed from Elizabeth (Lizzie), and becomes enraptured by her accounts of the past.

Things start to get weird and inconsistent. Ingrid doesn’t know quite what is real or if her mind is playing tricks on her. Her memories are distorted.

Lizzie’s diary entries end in an odd way. Mayra’s boyfriend Benji (an eccentric, slightly uptight do-gooder) loves to cook elaborate healthy meals, and is obsessive about taking care of this historical labyrinth of a house that is his family’s. He has some odd moments that are quickly covered up by him returning to “normal” behavior.

The story felt like “Women’s Fiction” for the first part of the book, but an ominous feeling grows as the story progresses. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but by the end I understood.

Nicky Gonzalez writes with a poetic tone, and beautifully descriptive chapters. Ingrid has a lot of introspective thought, and you really learn to understand her innermost feelings. I was intrigued and engaged the whole time!

Thank you Random House for the ARC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the E-ARC. 2.5 stars rounded up.

I really thought I'd like this one more. The first half of the book, if I could rate it separately, would probably be closer to 4 stars. I really enjoyed the sort of uneasy journey that led to the remote home the titular Mayra summons to the protagonist's existence.

The parts that really worked for me were the parts where the focus was on memory. How two people who've known each other since childhood can remember things the other did, while they themselves had no recollection of having done it. Or a vague sense, but like the version of them that did it was a stranger. I also thought that the dynamic between Mayra and Ingrid was believable (even if it was super toxic).

What didn't work for me was how the plot sort of fell apart with the introduction of Benji and, more specifically, the diary. By the end I felt sort of dumb, like I didn't know why Ingrid suddenly realized the severity of her situation. It just sort of came out of nowhere. I feel like there was supposed to be some sort of time warping pocket-hell type thing happening, but unfortunately I think this asked a bit too much of the reader in terms of assuming they'd be able to read between the lines.

I thought the prose was easy to read, and I'll keep an eye out for future books by this author, but this wasn't my favorite.

Truthfully I’m confused. I feel like I have no idea what j read. I was expecting a psych thriller about two reunited ex bffs but it turned out to be a gothic horror with those ex bffs as a side order? I’m still not sure. 3 stars for the imagery and poetic writing. Definitely a complex read but not in a good way. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

South Florida is a rich backdrop for a mysterious, moody, surreal novel like this one. While I think I got lost in the mangroves a few times, it was a fun place to sink into.

Oof wanted to like this but for the life of me I couldn’t stay interested. the setting and descriptions of scenes and especially food were great but I didn’t care for either character. also journal entries in a story always feel like a cop out to me

dnfed around the 40% mark


thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy for my review!

Such an excellent new horror novel! Suspenseful and disturbing in the best way! A new horror favorite for sure!

3.5 stars. Fantastic details, from the foods to the land and setting and clothing. The writer excels at inviting the reader into the world and making sure we see everything around us. It could easily to handed to a set director to build the scene. But pace seemed to be mixed, and some parts were redundant. I’m appreciative to Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reader Copy.

This book revolves mostly around a teenage friendship, which is not what I originally expected but ended up liking in the end. I am always interested in female friendships and the way that both conflict and fierce loyalty can coexist. I’m also a fan of the journal woven throughout and the way it adds a layer of mystery to the story. I would recommend this book for anyone who has a haunting friendship in their lives, one that seems to follow the despite their best efforts to leave it behind.

This was boring :( I really liked the idea of it but found it to be way too slow & kind of a mess. The most interesting parts were the flashbacks to Mayra & Ingrid’s childhood friendship. I also hate when a character finds a journal & reads like 1 page a week. Who finds a journal & doesn’t read the whole thing in one sitting?! I didn’t connect to any of the characters & had a hard time picturing a lot of the scenes.

Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the ARC.